


Can't Get You Out Of My Head

by Purplechimera



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Brown eyes or bust, Fluff, M/M, Pining, Remus came back super buff and tan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-18
Updated: 2019-02-18
Packaged: 2019-10-30 18:48:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17834132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Purplechimera/pseuds/Purplechimera
Summary: Remus spent the summer doing physical labor. Sirius cannot handle it.





	Can't Get You Out Of My Head

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Maraudererasmut](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maraudererasmut/gifts), [jennandblitz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jennandblitz/gifts), [letsdothepanic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/letsdothepanic/gifts).



> Inspired by a lovely conversation during a @Maraudererasmut twitch stream with @jennandblitz and @letsdothepanic

Sirius threw himself in the first empty compartment on the Hogwarts Express, James on his heels. For the very first time, he wasn’t recovering from his family. Maybe he wouldn’t fall asleep half an hour in. Maybe they could actually get some good prank planning in before the Start of Term feast. 

Peter strolled in several minutes later, and James and Sirius helped him store his trunk. Sirius pressed his face to the window. 

“Don’t worry, mate, he’ll be here.” James patted Sirius on the shoulder. 

“The full was last night, Prongs.” 

James rolled his eyes. “I know. But it’s Remus. He’ll be here.” He pulled a snitch out of his pocket and engaged Peter in an odd game of catch. Sirius stared out the window until the whistle blew. 

Just as the train lurched forward, the compartment door slid open-and so did Sirius’ mouth. Remus took up nearly the entire doorway. His normally russet curls were sun bleached, and his white t-shirt was nearly blinding against the deep tan of his skin. 

James was the first to recover. “Moony!” He pulled Remus into a hug. “What the hell happened to you this summer?” 

Remus rubbed the back of his neck and perched on the bench near Sirius. “Da read somewhere that being in good physical form makes transformations easier. He had me out in the fields all summer.” Remus started listing his summer tasks, but Sirius’ mind immediately supplied him with images of Remus, sweat-glistened in the summer sun, chopping wood or digging holes, or whatever else muggles do on farms. Riding horses? Carrying baskets of vegetables? Certainly, he would be hot. Maybe Remus had taken a dip in the stream to cool off, leaving his too-tight shirt on a branch… 

“Oi! Pads!” 

Sirius wrenched his gaze from Remus’ overly large bicep to James. “Huh?” 

“Do you want anything from the food trolley?” 

Sirius blinked again. “Oh. Er-chocolate?” He ran a hand through his hair, then accepted the small pile of chocolate frogs James passed him. Sirius automatically handed half to Remus. 

The summer catch-up talk continued, but Sirius wasn’t paying any attention. He was too busy concentrating on his chocolate frog cards. Certainly, he wasn’t distracted by the overly warm, overly tanned, overly….everything Remus sitting next to him. 

Eventually, Remus left to attend a pre-term prefect meeting. Sirius couldn’t decide if this was better, or worse. James and Peter began chatting about the Quidditch games they had attended over the summer. Sirius told a handful of anecdotes from the few he’d gone to after moving in with the Potters. 

The entire Sorting and Start-of-Term Feast was a blur. Sirius was too focused on how solid Remus felt when their arms bumped to count how many more new Gryffindors than Slytherins there were. 

“Gryffindor first years! This way. Come with me!” 

Sirius bit his lip. Even Remus’ _voice_ had deepend over the summer-it reverberated from Sirius’ chest down to his toes. He shook his head and pushed forward, leaving Remus and Lily to corral the tiny first years. They made Remus look even more like a man. 

By the grace of Merlin, Sirius made it to his dorm without incident, and threw himself on his bed without any of his usual theatrics. Peter raised an eyebrow, but didn’t even pretend to whisper. 

“What’s up with Pads?” 

James collapsed onto his own bed, kicking off his shoes. “He didn’t take his normal Express nap. He’s probably just over tired, poor little puppy.” 

“M nah liddle” came the muffled reply. 

“We’re all little now, mate.” Peter’s voice drifted from across the room. “Moony’s grown about ten centimeters, did you notice?” 

Did Sirius notice. Of course he fucking noticed. Who hadn’t noticed Remus? Or his hair. Or his biceps. Or his hands. 

James snorted. “Nah, he can’t have grown that much. Still. He did seem...a bit larger than normal?” 

“It’s his hair. I think he dyed it.” 

“Pete, he didn’t dye his hair. It’s just sun bleached. You’d know that if you ever went outside.” 

“Oi!” There were several dull thuds, and Sirius, without lifting his face from his pillow, knew that they had gone down wrestling in the middle of the floor. He allowed the normalcy of it to wash over him. _Normal_. It’s all back to normal here. Nothing weird happening. 

“If you’re going to insist on wrestling in the dorm, could you please do so on your own side of the room?” 

There was that voice again, vibrating through Sirius’ bones. He groaned and pulled his curtains shut with a wave of his wand. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

For three weeks, Sirius managed to fake normalcy. He pulled pranks. He went to class. He talked Quidditch strategy. It was fine. Sirius was fine. _Everything is Fine, James, Thank You._ He’d never gone through quills so quickly. 

It all came crashing down two days before the full. The Marauders were at their tree under the pretense of studying, but in reality enjoying the unseasonably warm end of September. Remus leaned against the tree trunk, his long legs stretched out under a library book that looked like it hadn’t seen sunlight in several centuries. Sirius, sprawled out on his stomach, was close enough to notice that Remus’ fingers were covered in calluses from his summer work. Ink dripped down Sirius’ quill, blotting out the last word on his parchment. Sirius didn’t notice-he was busy pretending he wasn’t watching Remus’ fingers tap his wand on the edge of the book. Remus turned the page. 

“Merlins balls!” Water sprayed out from the book all over Remus. He lept up, spluttering. James and Peter howled with laughter. 

“Using your wand to read again, Moony?” 

“Shut it, Prongs.” Remus peeled off his shirt, sending water all over. Sirius’ mouth went dry. His eyes traced every muscle contour on Remus’ chest, down his stomach. The scars that crossed over his torso stood out white against Remus’ bronze skin. 

Sirius watched Remus’ forearms flex as he squeezed water from his shirt. 

Remus’ foot tapped at Sirius’ side. “Pads?” He crouched down. “You okay?” 

“What?” Sirius pushed himself up, suddenly eager to put space between himself and Remus. “I’m fine. Fine! Why?” 

Remus frowned, then gestured to himself. “Dry me off?” 

Sirius stared at him. Had he ever noticed how chocolatey Remus’ eyes were? They were always sparkling and warm. 

“You’re the best at drying charms, Pads.” 

“Oh. Right.” Sirius pulled out his wand and waved it over Remus, and then his shirt. “All dry!” He bolted inside. 

They knew. They had to know. Surely everything had been written on his face. Where could he go? Remus always found him. He had to go somewhere new. 

No. Sirius changed directions halfway down a corridor, and headed toward Gryffindor Tower. Remus always found him because Remus had The Map. If Sirius took The Map, Remus wouldn’t be able to find him. 

The dorm was, blissfully, empty. He threw himself at Remus’ trunk, but paused when he was opened it. His nose was filled with chocolate, ink, wool. Remus. He shook his head, located The Map, and slammed the trunk shut. 

He wandered down to the Quidditch Pitch. The broom tails reminded him of tawny, sun bleached curls. He made his way across the grounds to the greenhouses, but that reminded him of the story Remus told at dinner last week. He’d been pulling weeds in his mother’s garden, and came across an entire colony of gnomes. They had been very angry that Remus kept caving in their tunnels. 

While the rest of the school was in the Great Hall eating dinner, Sirius made his way to the kitchens. As he expected, he was bombarded with offers of food and drink, and Sirius revelled in the normalcy of it while he tucked himself into a corner. 

“What the hell is happening?” He demanded of his tea, but it didn’t answer. It sat in his mug, matching Remus’ eyes perfectly. Sirius fought the urge to hurl it across the room. He closed his eyes, and his mind supplied him with Remus biting his lip in concentration. Remus pushing curls out of his eyes. Remus grinning when Sirius snuck him an extra piece of cake. Sirius opened his eyes, but it didn’t help. Remus was sitting across the table, head propped in one hand. 

Wait. 

Sirius nearly dropped his mug. “Shit, Moony! You scared me!” 

Remus grinned and gently removed the tea from Sirius’ grasp. His fingers were rough and too warm. Sirius had a nearly overwhelming urge to kiss them. Instead, he started folding and unfolding his napkin. 

“Are you finished?” Remus gestured to the table, and Sirius blinked at the remnants of the food he didn’t remember eating. 

“Uh, yeah, I think so.” 

Remus nodded and thanked several house elves, then wrapped his warm, rough hand around Sirius’ wrist and tugged him out of the kitchens. They made their way to a courtyard, and Sirius was slightly surprised to find that it was dusk. 

The sunset made Remus’ hair change colors, and it was several moments before Sirius realized that he and Remus were still holding hands. He stared down. His hand looked almost white next to Remus’ tanned one. 

“Sirius…” 

He forced himself to look up. Remus was studying him. Shit. He knew. Remus knew what Sirius had been thinking, and he was creeped out and Sirius was going to have to move out of the dorm, and he wouldn’t be allowed to run with Moony at the full, and- 

Remus’ hand ran along Sirius’ cheek, and lifted up his chin. The fingers on his other hand shifted to interlock with Sirius’. His deep baritone vibrated straight into Sirius. “I’m going to kiss you, now.” 

And he did.


End file.
